Einstein's Big Idea

A sober, instructive docudrama that makes abstract physics feel human, mixing reenactments with clear explanation for a curious, patient viewer.

Directed by

Gary Johnstone

Genres

Documentary, Drama

Starring

Aidan McArdle, Anton Lesser, Andrew Callaway

Tagline

The story behind the world's most famous equation, E = mc2

Overview

Over 100 years ago, Albert Einstein grappled with the implications of his revolutionary special theory of relativity and came to a startling conclusion: mass and energy are one, related by the formula E = mc2. In "Einstein's Big Idea," NOVA dramatizes the remarkable story behind this equation. E = mc2 was just one of several extraordinary breakthroughs that Einstein made in 1905, including the completion of his special theory of relativity, his identification of proof that atoms exist, and his explanation of the nature of light, which would win him the Nobel Prize in Physics. Among Einstein's ideas, E = mc2 is by far the most famous. Yet how many people know what it really means? In a thought-provoking and engrossing docudrama, NOVA illuminates this deceptively simple formula by unraveling the story of how it came to be.

How it feels

Earnest, warm and tense. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Science, ambition, identity, obsession

Content

Mild sexual content. No violence, gore or swearing.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)